Safer travel on West Yorkshire buses and trains was the focus of a police and partner agency operation in Huddersfield. Officers from West Yorkshire Police, British Transport Police and Metro were supporting the Safer Travel Partnership by speaking to people travelling on buses and trains. The aim, to improve confidence in travellers that the regions bus and rail networks are safe.
Insp Chris Sheard of the Huddersfield South NPT said: “With incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour on our travel networks falling, we want to take the opportunity to meet the travelling public and pass this good news on to them, whilst also reassuring them of any concerns they may have.
“Whilst crime is falling, the officers from Huddersfield police, BTP and Metro will be at Huddersfield bus and train station on Saturday and will also be reassuring people that we will not stand for any further crime and will be working in close partnership to keep people safe.”
To support this commitment, officers will also be handing out third party reporting cards to those elderly or vulnerable people who may not use mobile phones. If people do witness any crime on buses or trains, people can fill in the card and hand it to the driver or the guard who will then pass it to the police for further investigation.
Insp Sheard added: “There are millions of bus and train journeys in West Yorkshire every year and the chances of experiencing or witnessing crime is very rare. However, the Safer Travel West Yorkshire partnership is here to ensure that situation remains and that any incidents we encounter are dealt with.”
“Almost 200 million journeys are made by bus each year in West Yorkshire and almost all are made in complete safety,” said Metro Chairman Cllr James Lewis. “However Metro, West Yorkshire Police and the bus operators are dedicated to making them even safer, which is why we are working together in the Safer Travel Partnership to reduce anti-social behaviour still further.”
And Insp Richard Price from British Transport Police said: “We are pleased to be able to work with our partner agencies in order to promote safe travel across the region’s various methods of transport. We already have a safe public rail network in Huddersfield and Kirklees, and this operation is just one part in our ongoing commitment to ensuring it remains a safe place to work and travel.”
